How an Attorney Can Help You Renew Your Green Card

How an Attorney Can Help You Renew Your Green Card

Many foreign nationals dream of coming to permanently live in the United States. The number of cases processed for green cards both in the United States and in U.S. consulates across the globe is staggering. For this reason, those charged with the responsibility to approve or deny petitions and applications are often overwhelmed, and if your application to renew your green card is not filed and presented a certain way, it can be easily denied. At Kriezelman Burton & Associates, we help clients in the Chicago area renew their green cards with ease and peace of mind.

Renewing a Green Card

Renewing your Green Card depends on whether you are a lawful permanent resident (LPR) or a conditional permanent resident (CPR). An LPR is someone who has been approved for permanent residency in the United States, while a CPR is someone who has been approved for permanent residency but with conditions they must comply with before having their status turn to LPR.

Renewing Green Card for LPR:

In cases that have no complications or issues, an LPR can renew their Green Card at USCIS online. However, if your case has complications or issues, it is wise to consult with an experienced immigration attorney. Many Green Card holders do not even know they have complications or issues until after they have submitted their application to renew the Green Card and only then find they have a problem.

While some of those problems can be resolved or addressed successfully with the help of an experienced immigration attorney, in some cases, it may be too late to have the problem addressed successfully.

Renewing Green Card for CPR

If you are a conditional permanent resident and your CPR status is about to expire, you must file Form I-751, Petition to Remove Conditions on Residence, or Form I-829, Petition by Investor to Remove Conditions on Permanent Resident Status, to ask USCIS to remove the conditions on your permanent resident status. 

Just as in the LPR renewal, you can file this application without the help of an immigration lawyer if there are no complications or issues in your case. However, just as in the LPR renewal situation, many applications for removal of conditions are denied for reasons that could have been better handled with the help of an experienced immigration lawyer.

What an Immigration Attorney Can Do for You in Renewing Your Green Card

The most important thing an experienced immigration attorney can do for you in your Green Card renewal process is to review your documents and information. Doing this enables the experienced immigration lawyer to identify issues or problems that must be addressed before filing your application.

If you are a CPR, there are certain things that must be addressed for the conditions on your permanent residency to be removed. An experienced immigration lawyer will know whether that has been done or what needs to be done to avoid denial of the application to remove conditions.

If you are in the Chicago area and need to renew your Green Card, contact our office today for a consultation. We are based in Chicago but also take cases in Indiana, Wisconsin, and Michigan.